Fans of “Survivor: Fiji” spent the last two weeks watching local contestant Gary Stritesky in very obvious pain. He took a nasty tumble during a challenge and spent most of his subsequent screentime holding his head in his hands and mumbling incoherently.

But during a phone interview Friday morning from New York, it was clear that the 55-year-old bus driver from Ramsey is not the suffering type, even if he did exit the show on a stretcher. His booming voice and amiable, energetic personality suggested that his teammates affectionately dubbed him “Papa Smurf” for reasons beyond his white beard and blue shirt.

Here’s what he had to say about his time as a Survivor:

So Gary, the big question – what happened? Did the medics figure out what was wrong with you?

At first they thought it was a heat rash, but I knew it wasn’t. You noticed all the bug bites I had? It was an allergic reaction to the bites. That’s why I had the loss of breath and the nausea. Oh, man, I’d never had anything like that happen to me. I couldn’t focus. I couldn’t stand up straight. But once they got the anti-toxins in me, I was in pretty good shape.

Your tribe was the first on “Survivor” to live in relative luxury, with an elaborate shelter, a kitchen, a bathroom and plenty of food.

We were definitely the “haves.” I couldn’t complain at all. I anticipated it was going to be a lot tougher out there. It was still hot, and you don’t always know what’s going on. And it’s not like you’re eating at Perkins everyday. But you were eating with silverware, and I didn’t expect that on “Survivor.”

It seemed like you got along well with your tribemates.

I met some good people. Most of them were my kids’ age, so it was a lot like being at home with my own kids. There’s a lot ways you can upset people. You don’t want to be the bossy old buzzard. That’s not going to get you anywhere but sent home.

During one challenge, you had to eat pig snouts. How’d they taste?

We had them when we were kids. You’d take the head and tail and ears, chop it all up, put it in a gel, chill it and put vinegar on it. So that was a cakewalk for me.

Why do you think the show’s producers chose you?

I think it’s the wide diversity of things I’ve done and my ability to get along with people. I’ve always dealt with people. (On the show) your inhibitions disappear after two, three days and you start talking about a lot of things. My communication skills helped, along with the ability to sell ice cubes to Eskimos.

Was it a good experience, even though you were forced to leave the show?

Yup, it was. The people at CBS were fantastic. Everyone along the way was really good. It’s a page in my life that will never be forgotten, no matter what. It was an absolute thrill.

Putting aside any insider knowledge you might have, do you have any personal favorites to win the $1 million?

You know, I got along with a lot of them really well. There’s only a couple I might not have beers with now. It would be a toss-up, to be honest. There’s about a dozen or so I could see winning.

You’re in New York today, doing press and living it up. Is it back to reality next week?

Oh yeah. I’ll be back on the bus Monday, picking up the kids. But maybe this summer, I’ll get out that Harley.

A Minnesota native, Ross Raihala joined the Pioneer Press as pop music critic in 2004, after stints at The Forum in Fargo, N.D., and The Olympian in Olympia, Wash. He covers local and national music as well as some theater and other arts and entertainment topics. His favorite part of his job is reviewing, and live tweeting, Twin Cities arena concerts. And, yes, he saw the same show you did.

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